(April 25, 2018 at 10:04 pm)Neo-Scholastic Wrote: If some joker's only intention is to find things in Scripture to mock, there is no shortage of material. But that says more about the intentions and character of the reader than the text itself.
I see what you mean. But, in fairness, such mockery is often the repercussion of so many taking the text too seriously. More seriously than it deserves, really.
Plato's marriage schema as outlined in Book V of the Republic is often mocked and teased for its eccentricity. Now, the Republic is one of my favorite books, but I don't get bent out of shape when people poke fun at Plato in this regard. His plan to "breed" philosopher kings is quite absurd. If there is "no shortage of material" to be mocked, one should expect mockery. I can--and will--defend the Republic against the claim that it is not a useful or insightful work of philosophy. It is. But I cannot--and should not--be upset when people poke fun at it for its absurdities.
That fact that you are offended when people mock the Bible really kind of speaks to my point. As you said, the Bible works on different levels, and even I have "gotten something out of" some of the moral parables and teachings. In one regard, you do a disservice to the valuable portions by saying the entire text is beyond reproach.
That is what I see as the crux of the issue. In some ways, you do see the entire text as beyond reproach and above ridicule. And that's your right. But it is also the right of the OP not to share your view on this. And he doesn't. From his perspective, the Bible is no different from the Republic or any other book, and therefore deserves no special treatment.
